Rotary truing attachment for wheel truing devices

ABSTRACT

An attachment for driving a diamond roll-truing device wherein the diamond roll is rotatably driven by a flexible shaft within a flexible casing that is coupled to an independent drive motor fixed to the machine. One or more rigid elongated sleeves are fixed about the flexible casing adjacent the diamond roll housing to prevent the flexible casing from sagging and contacting the grinding wheel as the truing roll is traversed across the grinding wheel face.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Albert R. Carr, .lr.

' Northboro;

Albert W. Ratkiewicz, South Grafton, Mass.

211 AppLNo. 769,794

Oct. 23, 1968 Jan. 5, 1971 Norton Company Worcester, Mass.

a corporation of Massachusetts [22] Filed [45 Patented [73] Assignee [54] ROTARY TRUING ATTACHMENT FOR WHEEL TRUING DEVICES 2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. 125/11 [51] Int. Cl ..1 'B24b 53/00 125/ l 1 [50] Field of Search [561 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,555,612 9/1925 Riley 125/11 FOREIGN PATENTS 312,925 9/1930 Great Britain 125/11 991,857 5/1965 Great Britain 125/11 Primary ExaminerHarold D. Whitehead Attorney-Walter Fred ABSTRACT: An attachment for driving a diamond roll-truing device wherein the diamond roll is rotatably driven by a flexible shaft within a flexible casing that is coupled to an independent drive motor fixed to the machine. One or more rigid elongated sleeves are fixed about the flexible casing adjacent the diamond roll housing to prevent the flexible casing from sagging and contacting the grinding wheel as the truing roll is traversed across the grinding wheel face.

ROTARY TRUING ATTACHMENT FOR WHEEL TRUING DEVICES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The field of invention is related to the art of truing grinding wheels and particularly to a rotary multiple diamond-truing wheel mounted on a truing device that is independently driven by a flexible shaft and motor on the grinding machine.

In the prior art there are disclosed various types of commercially available truing devices adapted to traverse a single diamond nib or point across the grinding face of the wheel. Since these truing devices were manufactured there was introduced into the market the more dependable and longer lasting multiple diamond-truing roll which need be adjusted less frequently than a nib. Truing devices were built especially to utilize such wheels.

The single point-truing devices were designed to traverse and feed a diamond nib relative to the grinding wheel and it was necessary merely to provide a flexible drive to convert the single point-truing devices to carry the rotary truing devices. Such flexible cable driven-truing rolls are shown in British Pat. No. 312,925, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,079,905. However, the cable and roll disclosed in the latter patent is not traversed across the wheel face as disclosed by the applicant. Also, the British patent discloses a very short traverse of the cable and roll about the contour of a thin grinding wheel; whereas the present applicant discloses a flexible drive cable and roll for truing the face of a variety of wheels including exceptionally wide grinding wheels. The applicants flexible drive means for the truing device is particularly suited for attachment to truing mechanisms and grinding machines such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,860,614 and 1,905,224, and others wherein wide grinding wheels are employed.

When truing wide face-grinding wheels the flexible cable attached to the truing roll passes close to the surface of the wheel and tends to sag and upon occasion contacts the wheel surface. The applicant has provided a unique multiple diamond roll truing attachment with means for supporting the flexible drive shaft casing and preventing it from contacting the grinding wheel face during the truing cycle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly, the invention provides a rotary grinding wheel-truing device adapted to be. mounted upon and traversed across the grinding wheel face by a conventional truing device. It is rotatably driven by a flexible drive shaft within a flexible casing connected to an independent drive motor located at a convenient and remote location on the grinding machine. A first rigid tubular support member of predetermined length is fixed to and surrounds a portion of the cable casing adjacent a coupling at the end of the cable attached to the diamond wheel housing. A second rigid tubular support member of shorter length extends over the first tubular support member and the coupling which attaches the casing to the housing and the flexible shaft to a rotatable shaft mounted in an arbor support for rotatably carrying the diamond roll. The opposite end of the flexible shaft and easing being coupled to the truing motor drive in a conventional way. The overlapping tubular support members prevent the flexible cable from sagging and contacting the grinding wheel as it 'passes by and over the face of the grinding wheel being trued.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial plan view of a grinding machine having a conventional diamond wheel-truing mechanism to which is fixed a flexible cable for driving the wheel of the truing attachment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial side view in end elevation of the grinding machine with the roll truing attachment of the invention thereon; and

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on line 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing the flexible drive cable support adjacent the truing roll housing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention lends itself more suitable to grinding grinding faces and conventional'traversing type diamond wheel-truing mechanisms. Such machines include cylindrical, centerless, and other grinding machines for working on the outer periphery of the work. In some instances, machines having wide radial face-grinding wheels may utilize the invention.

Referring to the drawing, a grinding machine 10 comprises a base 12 on which is mounted a conventional adjustable wheel slide base or wheel support member 14. A pair of spaced-bearing housings 16 are mounted on the slide base 14 and a rotatable wheel spindle is carried in the bearings to be driven in the well-known manner, not shown. A grinding wheel 20 is fixedly mounted to and rotated with the spindle. A rigid wheel guard or housing 22 which surrounds the greater part of the grinding wheel 20 is also carried on slide base 14.

The wheel guard housing 22 supports a conventional-truing device or mechanism 30 situated at an angle to a horizontal plane passing through the axis of rotation of the spindle and grinding wheel 20. Such truing mechanisms are disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,860,614 and 1,905,224 to which reference may be had for details not disclosed herein. These prior art-truing mechanisms have means for traversing the truing tool across the wheel face as well as toward the axis of the grinding wheel. The truing mechanism 30 depicted in the drawing comprises a base 32 fixed to the wheel guard 22 and having a guideway 34 on which is slidably mounted a truing slide 36 arranged to move laterally with relation to the grinding face of the wheel 20. A screw shaft 38 is journaled for rotation in the base 32 and threaded into a nut, not shown, fixed to the truing slide 36. Upon rotating a handwheel 40 fixed to the screw 38, the truing slide is traversed relative to the base 32 and the grinding wheel 20. Optionally the truing mechanism may be a hydraulically or pneumatically traversed mechanism of the well-known type.

On the truing slide 36 is a bearing housing 42 in which is clamped a sleeve 44 adjustable toward and away from the axis of the grinding wheel. The sleeve 44 extends through an elongated slot or aperture in the wheel guard housing and is carried across the face of the grinding wheel with the slide 36.

A truing tool support shaft 46 is mounted within the sleeve and is adjustable relative to the sleeve and the grinding wheel axis. A feed screw 48 is threaded into the shaft 46 and has hand feeding spokes 50 fixed thereto. The tool support shaft feed mechanism is preferably similar to the feed mechanisms shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,860,614 and 1,965,224.

A bracket 62 is fixed to or may be formed integral with an end of the tool support shaft 46, which in turn supports a truing roll support housing 64 in which is journaled in bearings not shown, a rotatable shaft 66. The axis of rotation of the shaft 66 is parallel to the grinding surface of the grinding wheel 20 and preferably has a diamond grit-truing roll 68 fixed I to one end thereof. At the opposite end of the shaft 66 is an internal noncircular hole 70, which preferably is of square shape, and into which is inserted the mating end 72 of a flexible rotatable drive shaft or cable 74. Extending over the flexible shaft or cable is a flexible casing 76. One end of the flexible casing is provided with a coupling 78 comprising a cylindrical ferrule 80 fixed to the casing and having a flange 82 that is engaged by a nut 84 screwed onto a threaded nipple integral with the housing 64. Hence, the end 72 of the flexible drive shaft 74 is maintained in driving engagement with the end of shaft 66.

Support means are provided to prevent the flexible casing 76 from sagging and engaging the grinding wheel face as the casing moves thereover. The support means comprises a rigid long sleeve or tubular member adapted to surround and support a predetermined length of the casing 76. The long sleeve 90 has a central bore slightly larger than the diameter of the casing. One end of the sleeve 90 engages the end of the ferrule of the coupling 78 and an opposite end portion 92 is fixed to the casing as by crimping or swaging, or in any other suitable manner.

l'In some instances, a single elongated sleeve would suffice. *However, when the grinding wheels being trued are exceptionally wide, it is preferred to utilize a second rigid short sleeve 94 which prevents flexing of the casing 76 about the joint where the sleeve 90 and the coupling 78 meet. The short rigid sleeve 94 extends a short distance along the sleeve 90 and hasan internal bore ofa diameter which allowsa portion -of-the internal surface at one end thereof to snuggly engage the cylindrical surface 80. An opposite end portion 96 is concentrically fixed to the long sleeve 90 in any suitable manner such as by crimping, swaging, or welding.

It can be seen that the flexible casing 76 is supported by the long rigid sleeve 90 which in turn is supported by sleeve 94 .supported by the coupling 78.'Coupling 78 as above described is secured to the housing 64 of the truing mechanism 30.

For some less severe applications, either sleeves 90 or 94 would be an extension of or fixed to the coupling and sufficiently support the casing 76. However, a second short sleeve arranged generally as is sleeve 94 greatly reinforces and intureases the rigidity of the longersleeve'extending beyond it.

. Independent drive means are provided for rotating the flexiilile shaft 74 within the casing 76 and driving wheel 68 as it is *traversed across the grinding wheel face. Such means, at the opposite end of the casing 76, includes a second coupling 100 fixed to the end of the flexible shaft 74 that is connected to the shaft 102 of a drive motor 104. The motor is fixed on the wheel guard housing 22 remote from the diamond roll 68.

-In the preferred apparatus, means are provided for sealing of the cable entrance slot or aperture in the side of the wheel guard housing to-prevent coolant, and other foreign matter, from passing through. The sealing means comprises a pair of spaced elongated plates 110 supported by spacers 112 by bolts 114 to the side of the guard housing 22 adjacent the cable entrance slot 116. Fixed to the plates in position to cover slot 116 by screws 118 are a pair of-slightly overlapped strips 120 of flexible material such as neophrene rubber or the like which maintain engagement with the cable 76,sleeves 90 and 94 as they pass through the opening 116.

Operation of the rotary truing attachment to true the grinding face is conventional. Both the grinding wheel to be trued and the diamond-truing roll 68 are rotated. The peripheral surface of the diamond roll 68 is advanced inwardly a' truing encrement beyond the grinding face of the wheel 20 and toward the grinding wheel axis by rotating the feed screw If desired, coolant may be supplied in the well known manner directly to roll 68 or through a passage in bracket '62. Next, therotating diamond roll is traversed over the face of grinding wheel 20 by rotating the handwheel 40 and screw 38. The truing roll 68 and housing 64 move with the slide 36"and in turn push or pull the flexible casing, cable, and rigid sleeves through the entrance opening 116 and bythe flexible sealing strips 120. As the casing moves it is prevented from contacting the surface of the grinding wheel by the rigid sleeves and 94 supported from the housing 64. p

Modificationsmay occur'to those skilledv inthe art without departing from the scope of the appended claims, itis to be understood that embodiments described hereinabove anti shown in the accompanying drawing are to be considered as'illustrative and not in a limiting sense.-

We claim:

l. The combination with a grinding machine including a rotatably driven-grinding wheel having an exceptionally wide grinding face, a wheel guard housing about the grinding wheel, a grinding wheel-truing mechanism including a truingslide adjacent the grinding wheel face, a truing tool support shaft on the truing slide, means, for traversing the slide and the support shaft across the grinding face, means for feeding the truing tool support shaft toward the grinding face, wherein the improvement comprises: means including a rotatable truing roll for truing the'grinding wheel face mounted on the truing tool support shaft formovement'therewith,

means including flexible means movable with-the truing't'ool support shaft for rotating thetruing roll; means ad acent the truing roll for supporting and preventmg the flexiblemeans from contacting the grinding wheel} 

1. The combination with a grinding machine including a rotatably driven-grinding wheel having an exceptionally wide grinding face, a wheel guard housing about the grinding wheel, a grinding wheeltruing mechanism including a truing slide adjacent the grinding wheel face, a truing tool support shaft on the truing slide, means for traversing the slide and the support shaft across the grinding face, means for feeding the truing tool support shaft toward the grinding face, wherein the improvement comprises: means including a rotatable truing roll for truing the grinding wheel face mounted on the truing tool support shaft for movement therewith, means including flexible means movable with the truing tool support shaft for rotating the truing roll; means adjacent the truing roll for supporting and preventing the flexible means from contacting the grinding wheel face, said adjacent means including: a coupling fixed to the flexible means; and a fixed rigid long sleeve extending over the flexible means adjacent the coupling, the sleeve being of a length to extend substantially to one edge of the grinding wheel when said truing roll has traversed to the opposite edge.
 2. The combination recited in Claim 1 wherein the means for supporting the flexible means further comprises: a fixed rigid short sleeve extending over a predetermined length of the long sleeve and a portion of the coupling. 